The bipartisan bill responds to continued Azerbaijani aggression against ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh
From The Office of Gabe Amo (RI D1):
Today, Congressman Gabe Amo (D-RI-01), a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, announced the introduction of the bipartisan Armenian Protection Act (H.R.7288) to prevent the United States from providing security assistance to Azerbaijan for two years. This legislation was introduced along with Congressman Mike Lawler (R-NY-17), Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ-06), and Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-12). The legislation is a companion to S.3000, which recently passed the Senate by unanimous consent.
“We must send a clear message to the Government of Azerbaijan and our partners around the globe that the United States will not stand for unprovoked attacks on the Armenian people,” said Congressman Amo, a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. “We cannot allow the Government of Azerbaijan to get a free pass for their brutal military aggression and blockades against the ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. I am proud to support this bipartisan legislation to show that the United States stands with the people of Armenia.”
The Armenian Protection Act would end the President’s ability to provide assistance from the United States to the Azerbaijani government that is permitted by a waiver to Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act. While the law largely prohibits assistance to Azerbaijan, waiver authority for Azerbaijan was added to Section 907 following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. This authority has been used by Presidents of both parties since 2002. More than 100,000 Armenians have been displaced from the Nagorno-Karabakh region following a month’s long siege by the Azerbaijani government.
The bill enjoys strong support from the Armenian Assembly of America and the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
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